Ventura Blvd. winds through most of the San Fernando Valley, and plays as Studio City’s main street.

Cruise on Ventura Blvd. and see designer boutique shopping sprinkled between major chain stores, breeze by Starbucks and four-star sushi dives, glimpse multi-million dollar homes in Studio City’s hills to your side, keep driving southeast until Ventura Blvd. morphs into Cahuenga Blvd., and land in Hollywood’s heart and hustle, and understand Studio City:

Hollywood’s casual glam softened by suburban convenience.

Studio City’s Location in the Los Angeles

Studio City is just north of Hollywood, and south of Van Nuys. To Studio City’s west is Sherman Oaks and the rest of the western San Fernando Valley, and to Studio City’s east is Burbank and Glendale.

Studio City’s Weather

On average, Studio City reaches highs of 89°F (July-August) and chills lowest at about 42°F (December-January).

Transportation

Studio City keeps connected to Los Angeles’s major freeways – the San Diego 405, the Santa Monica 10, the Ventura 134, the Pasadena 110 – via the Hollywood 101, which runs north/south through Studio City. Ventura Blvd. runs alongside the 101, and, going south, turns into Cahuenga Blvd., which drops you off in Hollywood. From Ventura Blvd., you can take Laurel Canyon Blvd. or Coldwater Canyon Ave. through the Hollywood hills and canyons into Hollywood and Beverly Hills, respectively.

Education

Studio City is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District, specifically schools such as Carpenter Avenue Elementary School, Walter Reed Middle School, and North Hollywood High School. Studio City is also home to a private junior high and high school for gifted students with learning disabilities, the Bridges Academy.

The southwest corner of Los Angeles County, the South Bay includes all of Los Angeles’ Beach Cities – Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach – and all LA communities west of Long Beach, south of the 105 freeway.

The Beach Cities – or Bay Cities – are some of the best known cities in South Bay, mostly due to their renowned beaches – silky sands, clear waves, and pleasant piers – and the lifestyle the beaches create – think sunning, surfing, and skating the Strand, a paved path that runs along the beach from Redondo Beach north to Santa Monica. South Bay’s Beach Cities go metro, too – downtown Redondo Beach hosts wine-tasting galleries and boutique fashion.

South Bay’s Location in Los Angeles

South Bay is bordered by west Los Angeles at its north, the Gateway Cities – Long Beach, Compton, Huntington Park — at its east, south Los Angeles at its northeast, and the Pacific Ocean at its west.

South Bay’s Weather

Ocean breezes keep South Bay’s weather fresher than the rest of Los Angeles. On average, South Bay reaches highs of 77°F (August-September) and chills lowest at about 49°F (December-January).

Transportation

Los Angeles’ MTA buses run throughout South Bay, throughout Los Angeles at large. Los Angeles Metro Green Line light rail runs mostly east-west, from Norwalk to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) to Redondo Beach, and connects to the Blue Line subway, which runs north-south from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles. The Harbor 110 Freeway runs through South Bay and connects to major freeways the Ventura 134 Freeway, Hollywood 101 Freeway, the 5, and 210. The San Diego 405 Freeway, Gardena CA/SR-91 Freeway, and Century 105 Freeway also are traffic arteries throughout the South Bay.

Education

South Bay’s kindergartners through high school seniors are served by various public unified school districts; Manhattan Beach Unified School District is especially notable as one of California’s best performing school districts. South Bay is also home to a handful of universities, such as California State University Dominguez Hills, the private Loyola Marymount University, and community colleges Los Angeles Harbor College and Torrance’s El Camino College.

With a name roughly translating into Spanish for “beautiful view,” Chula Vista sits on the Pacific coastline, the second largest city in San Diego County.

A masterly planned community, deliberately settled and developed during the 19th century, Chula Vista continues to expand east and grow as a modern suburbia with small town values. Only 10 minutes south of San Diego, Chula Vista is comfortable beach living – without being too far – removed from the bustle of San Diego’s metro.

Chula Vista’s Location in San Diego

Chula Vista is 7 miles south of downtown San Diego and 7 miles north of Tijuana and the US/Mexico border. To Chula Vista’s east is Bonita, and to its west runs the Pacific coastline.

Transportation

Chula Vista’s major freeways include the San Diego 5, 905, and 15 freeways, which run north/south into Mexico, and the State Route 125, which runs northeast to connect to the 67 and 8 freeways.

Education

Chula Vista is served by its own Chula Vista Elementary School District, and colleges in Chula Vista include trade schools International University for Nutrition Education, Pacific Southwest School Association of Realtors, Pima Medical Institute, Rop Career Center, and Southwestern College.

Supposedly named after the word “jewel” (”la joya”) in Spanish, or a corruption of a pirate’s “Ahoy,” La Jolla is most likely “La Jolla” after the Native American word “Woholle,” which translates into “hole in the mountain,” a reference to the caves in the cliffs next to La Jolla Cove Park.

True or not, all these origins of La Jolla’s name point at the surfside resort community’s culture: technically part of San Diego, it shares in the city’s Spanish origins; a Mediterranean climate and vibe make La Jolla seem a southern Euro treasure; and its dramatic coastline of caves, cliffs, and canyons gives off rugged island glamour.

As gorgeously rough as La Jolla’s landscape is, its downtown is posh: upscale boutiques and famed restaurants make Prospect St. and Girard Ave. feel a touch Beverly Hills, La Valencia Hotel was a movie star fav during the silent film era, and PGA TOUR Buick Invitational is hosted by Torrey Pines Golf Course.

La Jolla’s Location in San Diego

At La Jolla’s south is Pacific Beach, at its north is Torrey Pines State Reserve and Del Mar, at its east the Interstate 5 (I-5) freeway, and at La Jolla’s west is the Pacific Ocean.

La Jolla’s Weather

On average, La Jolla reaches highs of 77°F (August-September) and chills lowest at about 50°F (December-January).

Transportation

On La Jolla’s eastern border is the I-5 Freeway, which connects to the 52, 274, 805, and 15.

Education

La Jolla’s kindergartners through eighth graders have the innovative Integral Elementary School of La Jolla, and the public La Jolla High School is part of San Diego City Schools District. La Jolla’s prep schools include the Bishop’s School, La Jolla Country Day School, and the Preuss School UCSD, which is part of the University of California San Diego. UCSD is the main college of La Jolla, and National University is also located in La Jolla. There are several research institutes close to UCSD, including the Burnham Institute, the Scripps Research Institute, and the Salk Institute.